Laying Worker

Paul Kelly, Research and Apiary Manager, discusses the phenomenon of laying workers and how to identify and correct the problem.
Frequently asked questions: hbrc.ca/faq/
A descriptive transcript is available here:
www.uoguelph.ca/oac/system/fi...
For more videos, check out the University of Guelph's Honey Bee Research Centre KZbin channel at this link:
/ @uoghoneybeeresearchce...
Filmed and Edited by Alex Guoth.
We would like to thank Québec beekeepers Marie-Hélène Majeau and Susan Kennerknecht for translating our videos into French. We are very grateful for their help with this project. (To view translation, click on settings then subtitles)
Nous aimerions remercier deux apicultrices du Québec, Marie-Hélène Majeau et Susan Kennerknecht pour la traduction de ces vidéos en français. Nous leur en sommes très reconnaissants. (Pour accéder à la traduction française, sélectionnez paramètres et ensuite sous-titres)

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thank you to everyone for watching and supporting our videos! If you have any questions about our videos, please check out our list of FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS on our website, which can be found at honeybee.uoguelph.ca/videos/frequently-asked-questions/

[@GoodmanMIke59]

I have one laying worker, multiple eggs, polished cells, had had Queen sell, guess you didn't make it back.. I will probably combine but have introduced a frame of eggs, took out one frame for some other location. Have you ever split up the frames between different hives? Also noticed that you didn't poke any holes through the newspaper. Guess it doesn't matter.

[@gustavocampos1969]

I can't stress enough HOW GOOD YOUR VIDEOS ARE AND HOW MUCH I'VE LEARNED FROM YOUR TEACHING! Thank you VERY MUCH for sharing this knowledge.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thank you very much Gustavo! It is very rewarding for us to hear your comments. Thanks for taking the time to pass on your encouraging thoughts. :)

[@kathyhathaway8823]

Thanks for your video’s great information, keep up the great work. Thanks

[@IPIX360]

Last year I've learnt from you how to split. This year I've just "fix" two hives learning from this video. You have the talent to explain things in clear steps with arguments standing behind and options available. Teaching is such an art, isn't it?! Thank you for sharing, Paul!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Gabriel Thanks! That is so great to hear about how you have directly applied the knowledge we enjoyed sharing!

[@suzisaintjames]

KZbinrs are like kids we want what we want when we want it. And we love your videos. Don't release all your videos at once. Spread them out a bit and you'll get less clamoring. If you are busy, I believe KZbin has a way to schedule the release of videos. But whatever you do please don't stop making videos, 2-years is too long to hear from you. With love💜 from sunny 🌞 Arizona 🌵 USA.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Suzi! When we put out our first videos we just dumped them all at once. We weren't even thinking of posting them to KZbin at the beginning. This round we'll be releasing 21 over the next few weeks. Our communications people wanted to spread them out but I want to get the information out in time to be useful. We compromised :) I'm hoping to do a few videos each summer for a few years. We are building a new honeybee education/research centre soon so hope I can do both! Hmmm sunny Arizona sounds nice right now. Enjoy!

[@suzisaintjames]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre it's in the 70f right now and it's easy to forget people in the other parts of the world are just getting their hives ready. The trees are in full bloom here with high allergy allerts most every day. You are right about getting these videos out right away, so people can be ready. Compromise is always the way to go. 👍 love💜 bees🐝 from sunny🌞 Arizona🌵

[@suzisaintjames]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre be sure to tell us about your new honeybee education center! 💜🐝🌞🌵

[@curiouscoy492]

Thank you for the clear demonstration of uniting laying workers with queen right colony. I have this procedure to do as soon as I get a good weather day. Very helpful.

[@FloryJohann]

Thank you. One of my hives has laying workers and I almost bought a queen for it. I am glad I found this video.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi JB Good to hear the video was helpful. Too bad about the hive though.

[@FloryJohann]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre At least I have an option.

[@beansbeat]

So glad you are doing more videos. Love the tool belt

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Brian Thanks! I can't go to the bee yard without my belt!

[@beansbeat]

Where can I get one if they are for sale?

[@bryanzavada4926]

I tried combining a laying worker nuc to a queen right colony using the newspaper method. They didn't chew through the newspaper at all after five days. Never saw that before using the newspaper method. I removed the newspaper just to see what would happen. She was an older queen, but still laying, so worth the risk just to know). You guessed it! They killed her. Queenless nuc got split up and given to other colonies, one frame to each recipient.

[@beemanrunning977]

Excellent video. I just fixed a laying worker hive using this method. Thanks for posting such informative videos! You are a great teacher.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks beeman running. Great nickname! Glad that worked out for you. It's nice to hear when we've been able to help.

[@honeybees1]

Thank you. I put my laying worker hive with a screened bottom bored on top of a hive with a screened top. In a week the workers stopped laying and I then introduced a laying queen.:)

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Great idea!

[@veragiles981]

Thanks for your explanation; it answered all my 'buts' and 'what ifs'!

[@Hogavich]

Another amazingly informational video from UoG! Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Much, MUCH appreciated.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

You are welcome Hogavich. Thank you for your very generous comments! Glad we can help.

[@tomfairbourn6998]

glad to see you back the videos are always so informative

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks Tom! Our goal is to be helpful so your comment is encouraging.

[@sullivandwyer9230]

I love the content of your videos Mr Kelly. the level of knowledge and consistency is second to none in my views.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

:) thanks!

[@tarairrgang6022]

Thank you so much. Your videos are always clear, concise, and very helpful. Very much appreciate your teaching style.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

You're very welcome! Thanks for your generous comments.

[@heidiedelman6840]

Very interesting and informative. I am so glad I found your channel!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks Heidi. We appreciate your support.

[@user-mi4fj9rq7v]

Great bee management tip. Thank you. I now add another step to this process, I vaporise the laying worker hive ( LWH) with OA before combing with the Q-right hive (If possible, I break open all of the ratty looking Drone cells of the LWH before vaporising wth OA).

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks for sharing!

[@l0wride]

Thanks for posting new content! Have been waiting years for it ;)

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

It did take awhile... You are most welcome. Thanks for the encouragement.

[@LazyBeeFarm]

i've watched all your videos and have learned so much. Thank you! I had a laying worker problem last summer.

[@LazyBeeFarm]

The "newspaper method" is what i used also.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks for letting us know you have learned form our videos LZBF. Pretty cool to be able to use something as simple as newspaper to fix a problem.

[@sullivandwyer9230]

Oh thank you and keep up the good work you and your production team Sir.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

You are very welcome Sullivan. Thanks for your support.

[@framcesmoore]

This is great so good u are back thanks for all u do have a wonderful day

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

You have a wonderful day too Frances!

[@baddestbees3347]

I took a laying worker Nuc,put in front of 4 deep colony and let their foragers return to Nuc and they killed all the laying workers and then I added a Virgin Queen of all things lol but so far they accepted her.ALL your Videos are really good, keep them coming I been watching for a few years now

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Well that's a clever way about it BB. Very neat idea. Thanks for your support.

[@dannycrain3485]

Good information. Paul look forward. To your videos. Thanks

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks Danny We appreciate your support.

[@KevinsNorthernExposure]

I did this procedure twice last year.....one with laying worker and once with a drone laying queen I removed. Worked seamlessly.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks for sharing your experience Kevin. Sometimes doing something simple is the best option!

[@KevinsNorthernExposure]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre It's the truth...I had old timers telling me to shake my frames out 50 yards away from the hive...that seemed poor advice to me, so I tied it my own way...there was literally nothing to lose.

[@BeesBikinis]

This channel is my beekeeping bible

[@robertshorthill6836]

Another short comment: I always placed a QE, when I had to use one, was to place it back from the front edge about 19 or 20 mm from flush. The drones can get around where they wanted and not clog up the bee space of the workers. Nothing demoralizes happy bees worse than being restricted by hundred of drones in the way. The queen will rarely if ever find this opening, but drones will use it gratefully. Bob

[@suzannecohen5269]

Hi, Paul! Very informative as always. Thanks! I'm up to 6 hives on my back roof now. I have an article coming out in the November American Bee Journal. I hope you and yours are well.

[@gheorghe-viorelstropelnita553]

Really good video, sir!

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Thank you so much for this! We don't have laying workers right now but I've always heard they are so hard to break from laying. Combining them with a nearby colony seems very easy! Thanks again!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Our pleasure! Thanks for your comment.

[@pauldow1648]

The old newspaper hobo trick. Classic. It can correct/solve a few other bee dilemmas. Very handy bee information. 😊

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks Paul. Handy stuff indeed!

[@fishmut]

Awesome content , years ago i did a split and took it far away from my bee yard to raise there own queen , the problem was there where no bees in the area where i put the bees to raise there own queen, the queen was raised but no drones to mate with and i had a hive full of drones and had to do the same thing in the end even after putting in another frame of brood and eggs i got the same result a second time around and ended up combining them with another hive back in the bee yard like in this video, great video brings back memories .

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hiytanythinggoes A lot of things can go wrong when we force bees to raise their own queen in an emergency supercedure. Glad you could relive your learned experience. It takes time and patience to learn from bees! Thanks for sharing.

[@mauriceupton1474]

Very helpful, thank you.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Nice to hear you found the video helpful Maurice!

[@mauriceupton1474]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre Honey flow stopped here in the North Island of New Zealand, its the end of summer. I have 2 problem hives. First hive has a queen that has stopped laying now for a month or more, and the hive has wax moth, it has been treated for varroa, but never recovered or started to lay, she's 3 years old. So I going to kill the queen and try to re-queen,. I never tried this before. With number 2 hive, I did what you suggested and added it to another stronger hive, with the newspaper between them, it had no queen, jusy laying workers. The No 1 hive it possibly be too far gone to save, would you have any suggestions on how to re-queen properly?

[@pixelated928]

this is so calming

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Alex and I had an excellent time in the bee yard when we filmed the video. I love the hum on a warm afternoon. Thanks Alexa.

[@pixelated928]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre your welcome! 😉

[@TexasBeekeeper]

If adding the colony to another colony will suppress the laying workers from the brood smell, wouldn't just adding brood to the colony do the same thing? And at the same time, wouldn't they draw out Queen cells if you give them eggs/young larvae?

[@robertshorthill6836]

A trick that worked the one and only time I had layer workers was to shake the bees off the combs several yards from the layer colony. Put in a nuc that had a good strong queen. The returning foragers of course were home, the layers, not flying, were lost in the grass never to return. This usually works from conversing with other beeks in my experienced years. It's sad to find a laying worker colony, but if caught early enough, all is not lost. Best wishes. Bob

[@paulahello7435]

Great video!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks Paula!

[@paulahello7435]

I'm going to try this tomorrow. Wish me luck.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Paula Wishing you retroactive good luck!

[@markaluge]

Very interesting video. I only had one colony when it became queen less last summer and I had laying workers. I introduced a new mated queen from a queen breeder and thankfully it worked. She is laying strong brood and I hope to make my first split next month.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Markaluge. Thanks for your note. I've never known that to be possible if it was truly a laying worker situation. Was the queen you introduced marked? Sometimes we think a colony has laying workers and is queenless when it's actually a drone laying queen that is being superceded. It's very tough to differentiate. It may be that the bees replaced their queen and that's who's laying. rather than the one you introduced. Glad it worked out anyway! Thanks for letting us know you found the video interesting.

[@markaluge]

Hi, the queen I added was marked and is still there. It could be that I had a drone laying queen, whatever it was they adopted the queen I introduced and she is still there and laying well. As they say "the bees don't seem to read the same books as I do ".

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

@@markaluge hahaha! They don't read my books either apparently. Alls well that ends well!

[@explorebc4x481]

Awesome videos.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks!!!

[@CamManTheWise]

Hi Paul, I love your videos! I just wanted to ask a practical question: I know that you like to screw the bottom board to the base of the brood box and I was wondering how you got around that little problem? Again, I love your videos and I hope to see more of them in the future. Keep up the good work!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Cameron. Thanks for the positive feedback. If I understand your question, we pre-drill the hole for the screw on all our bottom boards and screen bottom boards. Generally we screw them together before installing bees. If we need to unscrew or screw together hives with bees inside we tip the hive back onto an upright lid for a flat surface to line everything up. Hope that helps.

[@hellhole7422]

Thanks for the video, I have this issue atm with one of my hives that is now weak and waxmoth is starting to get into it. I'm going to try the merge with a strong hive and hopefully it works.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

That should work. You can maybe split them later.

[@Pustustuparul]

Thank you

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

You are most welcome Pustu.

[@MsDaddyrabbit1]

Excellent

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

:) Thanks!

[@noahriding5780]

Do you gut the drone comb (not hatched yet) also, if there's a large concentration of it in one frame? Or do you let the bees do that?

[@63italic]

Hello. Always really enjoy your vides. Very methodical and clear presentation! I have tried your method today taking a queenless hive that has had laying worker brood for weeks now. The problem I have had is that I have a dadant hive which has a screwed in bottom board so I used 2 brand new supers which together can fit brood size frames. After placing the newspaper I proceeded to transfer the frames into the supers above the queen right colony. Now I have a 200/300 forager bees confused in front of their ex empty hive. Should I completely move the old hive away or should I try and get the forager bees into the upper part above the newspaper? Also I noticed that the upper nest in your case has an opening whereas my supers don't. APologies for the long message. I'm sure you've guessed by now that I'm a newbie!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Roberto I'm happy to hear you find our videos helpful. I'd remove the old hive from the apiary so the bees are less confused. You'll eventually want to get more boxes of the right size.

[@AmrikSingh-mg9gz]

Hello from India Great information

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hello in India I noticed that recently that more beekeepers in India are watching our videos than here in Canada! Nice to know we are able to help. Thanks for your comment.

[@nicole_nurse4091]

Hello, I have a queenless laying worker hive, I plan to combine with a nuc colony. My question is, why do the bees have to be shaked out first? Couldn't you just use the same newspaper method and add the nuc colony on top (in a brood box with extra empty frames), so they have some time to adjust to the brood & Queen pheremone being around again and they would stop laying? Or because the nuc is not as strong, you could also put a queen excluder in between for a while to ensure they don't kill the queen? Or I have read to put mesh in between for 7-10 days... what do you suggest? Is it ok for the nuc to go on top of the existing hive (so that you can also put the hive top feeder on top of the nuc while they get established)? Thank you!

[@OutdoorsandCountryLiving]

Question for you. What happens with the eggs that the laying worker laid in the cells once you merge it with the queen right colony? Do they let it grown and hatch as drones before backfilling? Thank you and nice video. Stay well.

[@daviddequasie6816]

Another option, if you have the time, is to use a propolis trap instead of newspaper. Wait 2 or 3 hours and then remove the propolis trap. the bees will pick up on the scent of the queen but can not get through the trap. It's saves the bees from working many hours to chew up the newspaper and remove it from the hive.

[@jazzh9547]

Enjoyed that video thank you. One question though - could you not have placed a frame of brood & eggs from the Q+ hive into the Q- hive so they can make another queen? I'm a newbie so really interested in learning these things

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Jazz I've tried that without success. It can work with adding brood. bees and a queen or queen cell. We have a video coming up called why buy queens that will give more context. Lots to learn but it's so interesting!

[@jazzh9547]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre That's great thank you. You're helping with these informative videos! :-)

[@jaumecambra9648]

Thanks Paul. If this happen in our mild winter in Barcelona, we can do the same procedure?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Jaume! I think it would well in your conditions.

[@jaumecambra9648]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre Thank you Paul 👍

[@kameltolba4578]

I am from Algeria thank you

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hello in Algeria Kamel. You are very welcome.

[@selcukkara678]

Hello dears; In Turkey when we combine a lying worker colony and right queen colony. We dont use frames which are from lying worker colony, because drone eggs already is placed in. When we combine these colonies we shake bees into upper box.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

That is a logical method. Thanks for sharing.

[@eliothayhow20]

Are you gonna post more videos, they're really interesting and educational and I use your advise alot with my hive. Pls more videos

[@Codeexcited]

They are running on minimal staff because of covid(they usually have students and volunteers). I expect they won't have any videos till next summer

[@cchu329]

hi very good video you have made, have you thought about introducing a larva come from other hives, and enough food, maybe they could raise their own queen?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

I don't think they would raise a very good queen. One thing that works is adding several frames of brood and lots of bees then introducing a queen cell. You could also see our video 'what to do with laying workers' for another option.

[@denysantonenko3742]

Such good information!! Thank youuu!! Had a question. I have one hive that I removed from a chimney this April. Colony is weak. Wax moth have moved into the hive on all of the old comb. Had to take down all the frames and put all the bees on absolutely new plastic foundation. I’m feeding them syrup outside the hive for them to start building. They realized that they have no comb and started making a swarm on a nearby tree. I caught the swarm locked the queen in a cage and put the plastic bag feeder and candy inside the hive. Planning on letting the queen go in a day. Do you think there’s a possibility that they will move out of the hive? Can you recommend anything so they would start building even faster? I have only one hive, no other ones. Thanks again for the video😁😊

[@tarairrgang6022]

I would keep feeding them and maybe protein supplement as well.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Denys A later response. Hope your hive is doing well. Feeding is the best way to help them build comb.

[@denysantonenko3742]

UoG Honey Bee Research Centre thank you! 😊

[@vladsorin4759]

My hives are double brood boxes. After adding a third brood box, the drone-laying colony, how do you recommend splitting it back in to 2 colonies and when? Should I wait to have eggs in all 3 brood boxes before splitting and introduce a queen?

[@daviddequasie6816]

The most optimal way would be to set up an empty brood box next to the hive, then one by one, take each frame of the top box and shake the bees off then place the empty frames into the empty brood box. Make sure that the 10 frames have every thing that they need: honey, pollen, eggs, and brood in various stages. You may need to get frames from the other boxes to be safe and sure. Now take a queen excluder and place it on the top frame of your 2-box hive before setting the new box on top. The queen can not get into the top box but worker bees will. The next day, take off the top box and place it at least 25 feet away. They will make queen cells or you can buy a queen for your new hive. It's best to do splits when things are blooming. Hope this helps.

[@charriso1]

Thank you again for all your videos. One question: I tried this technique on a couple hives and noticed in both cases the queens in the queen-right colonies vanished. I read on a couple sites that from the bees' perspective a laying worker colony is essentially a queen-right colony and that the risk of combining a queen right colony with a laying worker colony is that the laying worker colony may kill the queen. I was thinking maybe something thicker than a sheet of newspaper (paper towel?) would unite the two colonies more slowly. Any suggestions would be great since I have two more work laying colonies to fix. Thanks again

[@lunacyfoundme]

I'm looking for the answer to this as well. I only have two colonies, one queenless. So I dont want to risk the other one by trying to unite them and having the Queen killed off by the incoming bees.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Cliff One sheet of newspaper usually works for me when the queen right hive is strong. I don't recall a time that it didn't work but you are not the first to say it didn't work for them. You could shake out the laying worker colony 30 feet or so away from the original location and then unite the box with your queen right hive. Some say laying workers can't fly back. I don't know if this is true but this method forces the laying worker colony's bees to gradually move into an entrance of a nearby hive.

[@charriso1]

Thank you so much for the quick reply. I like your idea of shaking out the laying worker colony some distance from its original location and having them enter a queen-right colony through the standard bee filtering process. I'll locate the queen-right colony I want to boost populations in the location of the original laying worker hive. Thanks again. I recommend your videos to anyone who will listen and even if they won't ;-)

[@chrismcentyre1604]

What will happen to the foraging bees from the old queen less hive? Would it be beneficial to set a new split there to collect them or is it not worth it? Thank you I have gotten more out of your videos than two bee classes.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

They will fly into the united colony right away as it's the closest hive. Good to hear you find our videos helpful Chris. Thanks.

[@thearturoorozco]

admiro mucho su trabajo y la mansedumbre de sus abejas, nosostros no podemos trabajar asi porque nuestras abejas son muy bravas. saludos de jalisco mexico

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

We are fortunate to have nice bees. Thanks for your kind comment Arturo from Jalisco Mexico.

[@matthewsweeney2577]

Do you have or need an upper entrance above the newspaper at this point? Thanks

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Mathew An upper entrance above the newspaper wouldn't be necessary but we do have one as all our deep brood boxes have an entrance hole drilled in them.

[@longarmsupplies]

We are having an early fall here in Alberta. I'm hobby beekeeper. I have three langstroth hives and one more that I just put a small swarm in. I was digging through the huge hives and intended to sneak some mature brood to strengthen the swarm. To my shock two very high population hives are queenless and all the hatched out brood spots have been filled with pollen or nectar. I'm stuck. The third hive is huge as well(I still haven't opened it up to see if it's in the same state as the other 2). Since we are heading into early fall, and I don't have any place to put the queenless bees except on to the swarm hive(it's two miles away from the queenless ones) my only option is to let them die off and use their resources next year?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi there. A late reply. I'm hoping that your colonies weren't queenless and that the queen had juts stopped laying for the fall. When they stop laying is a bit variable from colony to colony

[@richardkuhn8115]

Hi Paul. I enjoyed this video when you first published it. But haven't had to utilize the content until now. I have a fairly large Laying Worker Colony. My hive consists of one 8 Frame DEEP, and two 8 frame MEDIUMS. In your opinion, Should I just SHAKE them ALL out or try to combine with, like three other colonies using newspaper? Still am enjoying your videos. Thank you. Blessings

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Richard. Thanks for letting us know you've found our videos helpful. You've likely already done something but I'd shake out the mediums and unite the deep with another colony.

[@loukasloukass2568]

Hello, how many days needs the worker to start laying egs?

[@sakhmy]

Hello Sir Again, I have a question whether is it possible to expose the laying cell and bees in the super to suffocation due to the lack of airway and the presence of newspaper paper?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Again Saleem There is an entrance hole in the brood chamber above the paper so the bees can breath. You raise a good point. If you didn't have that hole you could cut a few small slits in the paper so air can circulate.

[@sakhmy]

Dear sir Thank you so much for responding my question about laying queen i have done what you show in this video and i have some questions about what happened with me when i take the laying queen box i take another super box cause the original laying box is not easy to transfer it so i have to take the frames one by one to the super box and some bees was out gathering honey and much bees is went out to attack me to defend the cell and was very aggressive so i unite the boxes and i put a newspaper between them and close the second floor but the other bees that came back to the old position for the laying hive i put a box in that position what you suggest to do with it and some people told me that the laying box could attack the queen and kill here and that will make the other hive also laying and i have to put a net between them with an entrance at the top of the laying cell until they merge without killing the queen and slowly

[@Westernwilson]

Paul, sometimes it is hard to tell if the larvae are dying because the hive is failing or whether they are dying because they have European Foulbrood (EFB). Can you offer advice on making that distinction if the beekeeper does not have an EFB test kit at hand?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi WW I can't offer much advice there. We rarely see EFB symptoms. Both AFB and EFB symptoms include larvae dying at a very specific age ( flat and stretched out AFB, twisted just before they lie flat EFB). When brood isn't cared for properly you see larvae and pupae and emerging bees dying at all ages including at the AFB and EFB stages.

[@qlu7273]

I've had my 1st laying worker hive this year and I was just wondering about the success rate for this method. I have been thinking about doing the newspaper combined method but after having spent some time on Google which probably isn't that great to do, I've seen a lot of commentary about the significant risk for the laying workers to overwhelm the Queen in the other hive. Is this a significant issue as common as it seems to me or do you have a pretty high success rate with a newspaper combine?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi q I've never experienced the problem you mention and have done this a few hundred times. It works! The smell of brood shuts the laying workers down.

[@qlu7273]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre we just did the newspaper combine. Do we need to worry about the large quantity of drone comb in the laying worker hive?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Q No worries about the cells. They are actually worker diameter cells that have been elongated to accommodate drones. Once the drone emerge the workers will shorten the cells back to normal.

[@qlu7273]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre I just wanted to let you know that I checked my hive today and the laying worker problem seems to be completely fixed! Thanks so much!

[@jesshowe4591]

Uniting a problem colony with good Queen right colony with newspaper or wire mesh between them always works and is the best way

[@ebertmyburgh3247]

Hi, not directly related to the video, but what type of fabric do you use as inner cover?

[@maxmagnus777]

looks like shipping wrapping that you pop

[@jasonsperry815]

I use a painters tarp from the big box stores. You can make many from one tarp. What he uses looks similar.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Please see FAQ#1 below. We describe this in a soon to be released video. 1. Why do we use canvas for the hive inner cover? A: We use canvas inner covers for a few reasons. They make it easy to take a quick peek in the hive, and are cheap and easy to make. They are light, the lids sit down well, there is less excess wax on the frame top bars, and we rarely need to scrape the inner cover. We use 18 oz (#8) canvas - otherwise known as cotton duck. It is available in the USA online at: www.bigduckcanvas.com/number-8-18oz-cotton-duck-canvas.html, In Canada at www.jtsoutdoorfabrics.com/18oz-Cotton-Duck-Canvas-Untreated--Natural-60_p_15038.html) or in Hamilton Ontario at europeantextiles.ca/product/canvas-21oz-natural/. Bees chew through thin canvas so a heavier weight is better. We flip it over periodically when new so the bees thoroughly coat it with propolis. An alternative is a feedbag folded in half. 2. Why do we use single brood chambers? A: Our preference is to keep hives in single brood chambers. We use queen excluders above the brood chamber and then add honey supers. We produce more honey managing our hives in singles vs doubles and we find the hive management much easier. It's become quite common in Ontario, especially over the last twenty years. 3. Are our queens for sale? A: We sell a limited number of queens but do not ship outside of Canada. To contact us about queens, please email [e-mail]. There are two other Buckfast breeders in Ontario: Munro Honey www.munrohoney.com/and Ferguson Apiaries fergusonapiaries.on.ca/. 4. What breed of honeybee do we use? A: We work with Buckfast bees. Check out our website if you would like to learn more about them: www.uoguelph.ca/honeybee/breeding.shtml 5. How do you overwinter double nucleus colonies? A: At the University of Guelph, we winter our double nucleus colonies indoors. You can also winter them outdoors by wrapping two double nucs together with insulation on the sides and top. 6. Are double nucleus colonies prone to swarming? A: With a young queen in the nucs and honey supers above we don't have any problem with these nucs swarming in the first year. We do have to transfer them into a full size box early enough the following spring to prevent swarming. 7. Do we add a frame of pollen or honey into a new split? A: Ideally you add both pollen and honey to a new split. Of the two, honey is the most important. 8. Where to purchase some of the products that we use: Coveralls: We really like Dickies 100% cotton coveralls. www.dickies.com/coveralls-overalls/deluxe-cotton-coverall/48700.html?dwvar_48700_color=GY#start=3. We use velcro to straps at the wrist and usually tuck pants into our socks. Plastic Queen Cages: Mann Lake (USA) and their Canadian distributors sell these. They are made by the French company Nicot. www.mannlakeltd.com/hair-roller-cages. I use a wooden plug on the bottom and screw it in place with a #4 screw after pre-drilling. Queen Grafting Microscope: www.amscope.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=gooseneck+binocular Mini/mating nucleus boxes: Mann Lake (USA) and their Canadian distributors sell these. They are originally from Europe but are widely available. www.mannlakeltd.com/shop-all-categories/hive-colony-maintenance/queen-rearing/nuc-boxes Queen Pheromone: The pheromone strips were developed in Canada. They are called Tempqueen and are made by Intko Supply Ltd. Suite 604, 3345 Kingsway VANCOUVER, BC, V5R 0A7 Canada [phone]. [e-mail]. Mann Lake in the US and several Canadian bee supply companies carry them. Bee belt and bulk bee box: Our apiary manager Paul Kelly manufactures the Bee Belts and bulk bee box. If you are interested in more information, please email him at: [e-mail]. 10..Should you remove any queen cells in a colony before introducing a new queen in a cage? A: Yes, you should remove the queen cells. Look very carefully to make sure you don't miss one. Shake the bees off each frame to make sure you can see the entire frame. Accepted queens are sometimes killed by virgins that later emerge from queen cells. 11. Can you make a split without adding a mated queen/can a split raise their own queen? A: A split can raise their own queen (if they have eggs), but it is better to purchase a mated queen or queen cell from a local bee breeder. Queens raised by a split are reared under the worst possible conditions, are physiologically inferior, and you aren't taking the opportunity to improve your hive genetics. For a number of reasons, colonies get more aggressive if splits raise their own queens. We always use queen cells that we have reared from breeder colonies so we can maintain and improve our genetics. Cells found in hives can be poorly reared if conditions aren't good or if you use swarm cells you, are unintentionally breeding for swarming behavior. 12. How often do we check for swarm cells? A: We check for queen cells only in colonies that are stronger based on our ratings as described in our “Swarm Control” video. We only do this at the time of year bees are prone to swarming (ie just before the main summer nectar flow). In some colonies, we check twice, a week apart, if we have the time and we've found cells in them previously. We stop looking once the nectar flow gets going and the time for swarm preparation has passed. 13. How old is a queen when we replace her? A: We re-queen if a queen isn't doing well or when she is in her third year. 14. How often should you be stung to lessen the chances of developing anaphylactic reactions? A: Please speak with an allergist if you have any concerns regarding bee sting reactions. You don’t need that many stings to build immunity and reduce your chance of developing an allergy. However, reactions can be very different from one individual to the next. For about three years after starting beekeeping you swell more in the spring when the bee season starts. After that most people don't swell up much at all. Some beekeepers apply stings through the winter to keep building immunity. 15. What do we use as candy for the queen cages? A: You can make the candy using honey and icing sugar but the candy you see in the tubes in our videos are purchased with the cages from Mann Lake beekeeping supplies and their Canadian distributors. In Ontario, it's not legal to use honey in queen candy if you are distributing queens. Honey can contain American Foulbrood spores. A specialized, non-drying, sugar syrup (Nulomoline invert sugar) can be used instead of honey. In any case the candy must be made dry enough that it's crumbly. 16. How do we make pollen patties? A: The patty is made from pollen we collect using pollen traps. We mix the pollen pellets with sugar syrup to a dough-like consistency, form the patties between layers of wax paper and then keep them frozen until needed. They will keep for several months in the freezer. 17. How do we make our grafting bars? A: We cut the wood pieces and attach them to the graft bar with liquid beeswax. We then attach the cups with liquid wax. In both cases the liquid wax is applied with a large syringe. In the past, we made the wax cups but now buy them from www.kelleybees.com/. 18. Do we move full honey supers to the top of the stack so the bees can fill the lower ones? A: Some beekeepers shuffle the supers around and do what's called bottom-supering. We place supers back on in the original order and only add new supers on top (top-supering). That way it's easier to see when the bees need more space. The bees also ripen the honey before moving up to the next box. We sometimes harvest full lower supers and put the top ones that aren't full back on in the original order. 19. Do we ever add brood frames to the cell builder colonies to keep their populations high? A: We do add other frames of sealed brood and sometimes we shake in more young bees from brood frames to boost the hives. About once every three weeks we'll boost the hives in one way or another. 20. How do you level hive stands? A: We level the hive stands periodically with pressure treated wood shims. If the hives are already on the stands, we use a hardwood pry bar and a brick fulcrum to lift each end for shimming.

[@HeartPumper]

Such question is literally under every each of previous videos 🙄.

[@maxmagnus777]

@@jasonsperry815 How is that cloth doing in high moisture situations? Is it keeping warmth during winter months enough compared with top board?

[@bandiengdoh1157]

Sir,,What happened if the laying worker bees accept a queen when I introduce it

[@TheOregonOutlaw]

Paul, 1st, no doubt your "prescription" could cure discontentment within a worker hive, yet... Wondering - would not removing those drone heavy frames to freeze out the brood and later use the same resources for the original hive (or possibly to resource a split) be a better solution than just leaving them with the original bees? Also, have you tried placing a nuc "above" the worker laying hive using a queen excluder for the first 7-10 days? Pheromones appear to have the greatest/quickest impact, and the nuc would likely amply supply it. Thanks, from a long time sub and always inquiring mind.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi O.O. I like simple and uniting the hive on the spot is definitely simple. Your suggestion of a nuc placed above seem like a good one. I don't get a lot of laying worker colonies so taking the loss of a hive for the option of a later split is fine for me. Keep inquiring! We never stop learning. A nice thing about beekeeping is that there are many right answers.

[@TheOregonOutlaw]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre Rule books never live up to expectations regarding bees! LOL Thanks for the reply - and Yes, let's learn and enjoy what "they" teach us!

[@jhonalejandromorenoperez9225]

Nice videos; anyone knows what material are they using for inner cover?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Jhon Please see our FAQ posted under each video for the answer.

[@dakotaackerman7175]

I’ve heard that the laying workers when using the newspaper method will try to kill the queen if the queen right colony isn’t stronger than the hopeless colony by a significant margin. Is this true in your experience?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Dakota I'm don't think I have ever united a stronger laying worker colony to a weaker queenright one. They are usually weaker and it has always worked for me. Others have told me it hasn't worked for them but it's hard to know what their situation was. Thanks for the good question.

[@lawrencepeceniak3908]

I had 2 laying worker colonies and added them to marked queen right hives. One hive was very strong the other was fair. Now after 1 week I can not find the marked queens in either hive. What has your success rate been?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Lawrence Using the newspaper method we get close to 100% success. There must be something else going on in your situation.

[@MannaAzad]

I found your video very informative. Thank you. I am blown away that an infertile worker can lay a living egg! It turns into a larva! How can that be?!? After seeing several videos on this (I'm trying to learn all I can before I start my own hives) I got to thinking. Those laying workers are doing everything in their little bug capacity to produce a queen. I am wondering...what would happen if someone took some of those drones and put them in queen cups? Would that hatch out a queen? Those bees are making so many miracles I am tempted to think this could happen. I am hoping someone conducts this experiment. I don't have bees myself or I would just pop a drone larva into a queen cup just to see what came out! Thanks again for your video.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi ManaAzad Glad you found the video informative. Unfortunately a drone can't be turned into a queen. Queens and worker develop from fertilized eggs, drones from unfertilized eggs.

[@robertkajor3774]

How about sliding 1 or 2 frames of eggs+larvae from another hive? Will that not spread enough pheromones to stop laying worker before queen introduction??

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Robert I have had success with adding 2 or 3 frames of bees and brood from a queen right hive and then introducing a queen cell. I don't think I've tried what you suggest. It may work.

[@robertkajor3774]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre That is what I meant. Sorry for confusion😁

[@simopr09]

Please can you answer this question: I have a laying worker problem. Too many eggs in the same cell. How did the problem start? 8 days ago I destroyed all the queen cells to prevent a swarm. However, the swarm did occur. The bees didn't find any queen cell to raise a new queen (Beginner problem!). The odd situation: When I examed the hive today I found a queen cell cup filled with royal jelly. Can a laying worker lay an egg in that cup and then the bees feed it royal jelly? If that's true, would that queen cell develops into a normal queen? Thanks in advance for the answer and for all the great videos you are sharing.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi There That's too bad but I think by removing all the cells you didn't leave them with any option to replace queen. Please see our video about 'swarm control' for more details. The queenless hive will try to produce a queen from unfertilized eggs laid by workers. If you open up the 'queen' cell you will see its is a drone.

[@r.r.s4812]

Would it be ok or beneficial to scrape all the all the worker laid drone brood so as to eliminate them from the genetic pool?

[@r.r.s4812]

@@cluelessbeekeeping1322 yes, but the question wasn't how to clean it. Perhaps i didn't communicate that clearly. The question is "Would you be wise to clean it rather than allow those undersized drones to survive and possibly mate."

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Robert I know what you are saying but in this case doing something simple like uniting gets the job done. I appreciate that you are thinking about how to not spread poor genetics. The genetics from drones in laying workers may be good or bad or mediocre. The worker's egg genetics come from her mother and one of the drones her mother mated with. I think I've got that right.

[@r.r.s4812]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre thx for reply. That is the answer to my question! Your videos are great and extremely helpful. Thx for doing them.

[@WahabKa]

what if you have a very strong colony and im talking 3 boxes, is it okay to just give them brood frames (eggs larva and capped brood) and just let them requeen themselves ? ...

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Abdel I don't think that would work if the workers were already laying. Please watch our video coming soon on 'Why Buy Queens'.

[@JimWellman]

I say, give it a try sometime. Maybe add a queen cell along with the brood frame. Or maybe a mated queen along with a frame of brood.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

I have had success with adding brood, bees and a queen or queen cell so those are good ideas Jim. Laying worker colonies are often weak though so you need to add a lot to make them viable. I'm trying to work through the yard quickly and find it better to keep things simple. A loss of one hive is an opportunity to make up another one later when you unite.

[@tarnishedknight730]

Question: You say that the "smell" of brood an/or a queen will cause the laying workers to stop laying; about how long does that take? Overnight, a few days, weeks? Thanks in advance.

[@JimWellman]

@@tarnishedknight730 you may want to ask this question under the main thread rather than under Abdel's question because it may go unnoticed here.

[@HotelPapa100]

would giving them a frame of fresh brood from a queenright colony not work? Have they given up on making a new queen at that point?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Adding a frame with young brood and eggs is not enough to turn the situations around. I have had success with adding several brood frames and a queen cell or mated queen.

[@filbilly]

is adding brood frames to shut down a laying worker then eventually add a queen possible?

[@Westernwilson]

John, at 3:40 Paul mentions the issue here: all the bees in a laying worker hive are really old and shrinking in number, they are not going to do well feeding frames of brood given them. Ask yourself: would you buy a box of really old bees, likely with only two or three weeks to live and try to get them to make a new queen? Not worth the money, so not worth your time either. You would be better off just splitting the strong hive you are taking brood from.

[@filbilly]

@@Westernwilson Got it! Thanks!!

[@Westernwilson]

@@filbilly You are welcome! I blogged on this as well, with Paul's video linked in: herewebee.wordpress.com/2021/07/07/dire-straits-laying-worker-hives/

[@vrltk]

Hello.queenright colony and multiple eggs.what could be the problem? thanks.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

This happens if the colony is honey bound or with a young queen that is keen to lay but doesn't have enough bees.

[@babybeeapiaries8667]

Don't you run the risk of the laying workers killing the queen in the queen right hive using this combining method?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

It rarely fails.

[@jesshowe4591]

When united too strong colonies with this method during hot weather the could be a overheating problem better to make small holes in the newspaper or something similar to matchsticks around and the lid so they can get some air

[@SisyphusTwo]

Is it not advisable to punch a few small holes in the newspaper ?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Yes you can do that. It would be a good idea if there wasn't any other ventilation. Our brood boxes have an entrance hole.

[@benjaminclegg7109]

Can't one put a brood frame with fresh fertilized egg to the queen less one? will they then be able to raise a new queen?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Benjamin Once the workers start laying the colony won't raise a new queen.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Even if you give them a frame with eggs.

[@Howto-oe3pr]

Are you sure that laying workers can not back to the hive, I'm pretty sure that this is an old information and it might be not true, can you explain me?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

I'm not sure about this.

[@Howto-oe3pr]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre I think that over the time it has been proved that this is just a myth and that the laying workers in fact can fly back to the hive, please check it! Thank you!

[@1980asweid]

when can I get the newspaper out of the hive? (hours)

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

The bees chew up the paper and remove it over a few days. No need for you to remove it.

[@1980asweid]

Thanks .. Done successfully@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre

[@mhamedachour7026]

Merci video algeria

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Bonjour Mhamhed. Avec plaisir.

[@pauldow1648]

Still a Newbee here and I think I have a queenless colony . I may have squished her .dont know for sure but it has been queenless for some time as there even isn't any brood. So put a couple donor frames of larvae an brood in it to buy some time. I have seen youtubers stick a mesh cage (4x5x 3/4 or so) over a brood frame with larvae and brood and then insert a mated queen with couple attendants into screened cage. Close the colony up. New born bees help care for queen and available cells allow queen to lay. Over time colony adjusts/accepts new queen and cage is removed - colony saved....... Can you comment. Thanks

[@WahabKa]

or we can give them brood and a queen cell, would they accept that ?

[@maxmagnus777]

They would chew the queen cell. They need new queen.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Abdel I have has success doing as you say but have only tried it a couple times. I find it simpler to unite as in the video.

[@kekulpac]

So if it is the queen's pheromone that inhibits the worker's ovary production. Why wouldn't introducing a new queen along with the pheromone then shut down the laying worker. Does it not have a reverse effect?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Brood pheromone suppresses worker ovaries more so than queen pheromone.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

That's why it takes about three weeks of a colony being queenless for workers to start laying.

[@HotelPapa100]

"Downward spiral" Understatement of the century. Nothing spiralling about it, It's straight into the ground from there.

[@randalpowers9785]

I done this and as soon as they chewed thru the paper they balled my queen in the bottom of box and tried to kill her...now I'm not sure what to do.

[@49ersfan127]

Can the lay worker hive kill the queen once it gets through the news paper?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

It's possible but doesn't happen often. It's important that the queen right hive is stronger than the laying worker hive.

[@route-249]

before the two hives unite, do you ever have any problem with the laying workers laying eggs in your supers?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Yes they do lay there too. Not a problem.

[@maxmagnus777]

This might be a strange question. How many worker bees are actually laying eggs? Can anybody confirm that the laying bees can not fly?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Those are very good questions. I don't however have good answers. I think we should both look this up and connect later :)

[@maxmagnus777]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre I've searched it. What I had found is that there should be around 100 of them in 20 000 bees hive.

[@Knappa22]

If you shook off the bees 20ft away from the hive why wouldn’t the laying workers be able to fly back along with the other bees?

[@labella9291]

I wonder what would happen if a laying worker were AIed.. And then a queen grown from a fertilized egg... And in fact, what kind of workers would develop from a fertilized laying worker.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi LaBella If I understand you correctly the situations you describe can't occur with honeybees. A good book on bee biology could help you figure this out.

[@Brandon16050]

my laying worker hive accepted a mated queen no problem. i left her in her cage for 2 days. The workers were trying to feed her through the cage.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Brandon It's very unusual for a laying worker colony to accept an introduced queen. Makes me wonder what is happening in the hive.

[@Brandon16050]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre she is laying now but the hive failed at making a queen and became queenless. it became a laying worker hive for at least 2 weeks every frame had a good amount of drone brood. i did not dump bees or remove comb. I live in the city so did not have many options so i just bought a queen and put her cage and all in and watched. they almost instantly climbed up and started trying to feed her!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

@@Brandon16050 All's well that ends well! Thanks Brandon.

[@robertpaluska6354]

Don’t you worry about the laying workers killing the queen in the queen right colony ?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Robert No I don't. This method rarely fails - partly because we unite the laying worker hive with a stronger queen right hive.